459,266. Postmarking and like machines. HASLER AKT. - GES.WERKE FUR TELEPHONIE & PRAZISIONS - MECHANIK, 50, Schwarztorstrasse, Berne, Switzerland. May 25, 1936, No. 14766. Convention date, June 21,1935. [Class 100 (ii)] Stopping, starting, and like arrangements.-In a postmarking or like machine of the kind in which a rotatable marking- cylinder is driven in conjunction with an endless conveyer for articles to be franked and is arranged to be automatically stopped at the completion of each rotation, a feeler is arranged above the conveyer and is adapted to be lowered either to press an article on to the conveyer and then release the cylinder, or to drop below the conveyer if no article is present and so prevent the starting of the machine. The convever consists of belts 8 mounted below a feed-table 1 on which is supported a manually-rotatable shaft 14. The shaft 14 carries a cam 18 engaging a finger 17 loosely mounted on the shaft and adapted, when rocked by the cam, to depress a plate 20 pivoted on a rod 21 and normally held in raised position by springs 23. The plate carries a shaft 24 on which a lever 25 is pivoted. The lower arm of the lever extends through a slot in the plate and is forked to engage a pin 27 on a pivoted plate 28, a spring tending to depress the and plate 28 but being normally prevented by the engagement of the cam 18 by a pin on the lever. The plate 28 detachably carries a member 30 slotted so as to indicate the position at which the frank will be applied. Pivoted on the shaft 14 are pairs of levers 31, 32 carrying respectively rollers 33 and flat springs 34 which act to hold the articles on the conveyer ; the levers are normally held in raised position against the action of springs by the plate 20 and shaft 24. In use, the article is placed on the conveyer, and the shaft 14 is rocked, thus causing the finger 17 to depress the plate 20 and permit the rollers 33 and springs 34 to grip the article ; the plate 28 also descends and rests on the article. Rocking of the cam 18 permits a spring-pressed lever 37 secured to the rod 21 to fall so that the finger 17 engages a slot therein and is prevented from return. When the article is properly gripped, a lever 13, Fig. 4, which is carried by the shaft 14 and which has moved idly relatively to a link 11, rocks the link and releases a clutch-operating pawl 3 to set the cylinder 2 and conveyer into operation. Near the end of the rotation of the cylinder a cam thereon rocks a lever 39 secured to the rod 21 and causes the lever 37 to release the finger 17 so that the parts can be reset in normal position by spring action. The cylinder then resets the pawl 3 in position to disengage the clutch. If the shaft 14 is rocked and no article is in position on the conveyer, the plate 28 falls between the conveyer belts and an offset on the end of the lever 25 engages a notch 19 in the end of the finger 17 to prevent the shaft from being rocked sufficiently far to release the pawl 3.